


Only A Mother Could Love

by peggywrites



Category: Lupin III
Genre: + the boys being general goofballs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Swearing, in this house we love a mother who knows her son is crushing on his best friend(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:34:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23386708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peggywrites/pseuds/peggywrites
Summary: When Jigen gets injured in New York without anywhere to go, Lupin and Goemon follow his directions to a small secluded house in the middle of nowhere. Only to find that an old woman lives there.
Relationships: Ishikawa Goemon XIII/Jigen Daisuke, Ishikawa Goemon XIII/Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III, Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III
Comments: 9
Kudos: 132





	Only A Mother Could Love

The treasure had been haphazardly thrown into the back seat of the fiat, now rolling from side to side as the car drove at extremely fast speeds down the street. The yellow blur was being chased by not one, but two sets of very angry people. One was Zenigata and his ICPO crew, and the other was from the gang they had stolen from. Turns out they were not too pleased to have a precious sapphire stolen right from their noses.

The heist didn’t go quite as planned. Goemon, Jigen, and Lupin found themselves surrounded and fighting their way out through what felt like hundreds of mafia goons. They were making a fine and dandy escape before they got separated. It was only by a few feet, but enough to make one worry. While Jigen and Lupin were good shots, shooting someone at close range proved itself to be difficult, especially when there were multiple targets closing in.

There had been a yelp from behind him, and Lupin turned to see Jigen frozen in place with a goon standing horribly close to him. A knife driven straight into his friend's side.

“ _Oh_.” Is the only word Jigen got out before the blade was ripped from his body and he was sent crashing onto the floor.

With incredible haste, Lupin set off a smoke bomb and shot the man who was next to Jigen. Goemon stooped down to pick up their fallen friend and they both crashed out the door as quickly as possible. They ran towards the fiat and stumbled in. Lupin fumbled with the keys but managed to drive away as guns and bullets racked the back of the car.

Which brought them to now.

And now was a bad time to be in – because for once Lupin didn’t have a clue where to go. It was supposed to be a quick heist. A get in and get out kind of deal. He didn’t think his calling card would warrant so much attention. He didn’t think anyone would get hurt.

So, there was no hospital they could go to and no safehouse they could retreat to. Lupin swallowed nervously. Of course, of _COURSE_ something like this would happen on a pass-through heist. Of freaking course. The thief looked from side to side before continuing to careen down the pavement. He had no idea where they could go. He knew people in New York, sure, but if this gang knew him, they certainly would think to know where he would go. Not only that, but if Zenigata was here, he’d know the thief’s every move as well.

A thought stuck him suddenly, and he reached a hand over to shake Jigen’s shoulder. One, to keep him awake and two, to get his attention.

“Hey, hey, Jigen! You used to live around here, right?” He asked, making a turn as easily as he could with his injured friend. “Is there anywhere we can go? I really don’t want to have to sew you up on the side of a road.”

Jigen was silent for a moment, and Lupin thought they might have lost him to either shock or overwhelming unconsciousness, but the man winced, shifting in Goemon’s firm but gentle arms.

“Yeah … yeah.” He said gruffly and with a nod.

“Great! Then where –“

“You can’t … let anyone follow us.”

“Yeah, Jigen. I got it. I can shake them.” Lupin stated, taking a sharp turn that made Goemon take a surprised breath inward. The fiat careened around a corner, lifting off two of its wheels before leveling out with a thump.

“No … **_no_**.” Jigen’s voice was weak but firm in its statement. The man lifted a hand and grabbed onto Lupin’s coat cuff. “You can’t let … **_anyone_** follow us there. No one can know.”

Lupin grumbled; a bit offended that Jigen didn’t trust his skills as a driver. But the thief was just as good at making a silent escape as he was making a grand, showy, and loud one. He reached forward and shut the lights of the fiat off, making another sharp turn to attempt at shaking off both the ICPO and the gang that was following them. His stomach dropped as he felt Jigen’s hand slip from his sleeve and onto his thigh, but he kept driving. He hated that it took so long, but with clever driving and a few careful maneuvers, the fiat found itself parked within an alleyway with the engine turned off.

“Okay. We lost them, I’m sure.” Lupin turned to his partner. “Now tell me where to go.”

Jigen mumbled some address, and Goemon had to open the glovebox to retrieve a map for Lupin to look at. The location was definitely off the beaten path, and didn’t even look like any roads led to it. They kept the map out on the dash and Lupin started the car; he kept the lights off as he drove down a road that would lead them towards where Jigen told them. Lupin drove quickly, almost missing a turn that Goemon called out for him to make. Both of them spoke to Jigen, trying to get him to stay awake and talk to them. He responded tired and gruffly, snapping at Goemon to ask him a real question when he was asked to cite the English Alphabet.

Soon Lupin took a turn and was now driving on a dirt path. The fiat bounced up and down with how uneven it was, making Jigen wince and give the occasional shout in pain as the roughness jostled his side. The road was long and everything tonight was just making Lupin made at how SLOW everything had to be. Thankfully the pathway finally ended and revealed a tiny home at the end, sitting in front of a river. It almost looked like a post card.

“There is a light inside.” Goemon stated very stoically, but with a hint of curiosity edging into his voice. Lupin followed his gaze as he pulled up to the house and indeed, spotted the same light illuminating one of the windows.

“Does someone live here?” He asked as he parked the car and shut off the engine. He wasn’t really looking for an answer as he opened his door, but Jigen spoke up anyway.

“ _Yeah … yeah_.” Jigen whispered, attempting to nod his head but only accomplishing one and pressed his chin into his chest. “ _I wrote her a letter … few weeks ago_.”

 _ **“Her?!”**_ Lupin sputtered, blinking with surprise. So. Let’s review; there was a house in the middle of absolute freaking nowhere that Jigen knew about. Not only did someone live there, but it was a woman that Jigen somehow didn’t hate the ever-living guts out of, **AND** he was writing her letters?!? Lupin knew Jigen respected _some_ women who earned it, but this was beyond out of character for him.

  
Lupin rushed over to Goemon’s side of the car and opened the door. He leaned down and scooped Jigen up as carefully as he could, but still earned a pained yelp from the man as he clutched his side. At least it woke his friend up a bit, enough to curse at Lupin to be easier. As bad as this was going to suck (as it usually did), the last thing they needed was Jigen falling asleep. Goemon got out of the car afterwards and shut the door easily behind them. The then quickly followed Lupin to the door of the household. It was one of those steel doors painted to look like it was wooden, with a handle on to its side and a peephole in the center.  
  
With more desperation than he would like to show in these kinds of situations, Lupin lifted his hand and banged his fist against frantically the door. This caused Jigen to shift in his arms again, and the man groaned and reached his hand to grip Lupin’s shirt in some sort of protest for moving him again.   
  
There was movement within the house, though not very quickly. Lupin shifting his weight anxiously from foot to foot, wondering why whoever the hell was inside was taking so long to get to the door. You think someone living in the middle of nowhere would be a bit curious to see who was coming to their door this late at night. The thief grumbled, more like growled, with impatience. Goemon rested a hand on his shoulder in some attempt at keeping his nerves calm. Lupin took in a deep breath and it shook as he let it back out.  
  
A shadow appeared under the doorframe and the door creaked as if someone was leaning against it. Lupin stepped forward, getting close enough for the person behind the door to see him through the peep hole.  
  
“Hey!” He called, trying to get his voice through the steel door.  
  
“Hello?” Asked a soft, female voice from behind the door.  
  
“Hey! My name’s Lupin!” The thief immediately kicked himself mentally for not using a fake name or something, but it was too late now. “This is Goemon. My friend Jigen said he knew you!”  
  
“Jigen?” She asked.  
  
“Yeah! Look! This is him!” Lupin lifted the man in his arms up. The man winced again and tugged roughly on Lupin’s shirt. “Look, he got stabbed and he’s really hurt and if we don’t get him stitched up -“  
  
Lupin didn’t get a chance to finish his statement. The sound of several, **_SEVERAL_** locks unlocking and unlatching came from behind the door and it was swung open, revealing a very worried and very old Japanese woman. She was nearly all skin and bone, tall, but still shorter than Lupin, the easy night gown and a shawl that draped over her body made her look fuller than she probably was. She had silver, messy hair tied together in a tight bun on the top of her head and cheekbones that looked like they could cut glass. She didn’t look at Lupin or Goemon, but instead looked down at Jigen. Her brow knotted together with worry.  
  
“Come inside, quickly.” She told them. Her voice was clearer now, but it still held that crack that most older people shared. She moved out of the way for the three to make their way inside. Lupin turned around to watch her as she shut the door once more, clicking and latching back all kinds of locks that lined the side of her front door. She then grabbed one of those metal security bars from beside the door and placed it beneath the handle.  
  
“Where should I -“ Lupin started, but the woman was already moving past him, probably rushing faster for someone her age than what was recommended by most doctors.  
  
“There’s a couch in the living room.” She instructed. “You, Samurai!” She turned to Goemon, who blinked in surprise and pointed a finger at himself. “Yes, you! Go grab a sheet from the table in the kitchen. I don’t want blood on my furniture. I’ll get the aid kit.” She pointed to a swinging door across the way before shuffling off in the opposite direction.  
  
Lupin and Goemon looked at each other for a moment, then nodded to each other and went off in their respected ways. The house was small enough for Lupin to locate the living room almost immediately. It was just off the way of the main foyer. The living room had one long couch, an armchair with a blanket draped over it and a soft pillow against its back, an old fashioned TV against the back wall, an even older fashioned radio in the corner with a blanket and pillow on the floor, and a wooden coffee table with a glass center in front of the couch. Lupin made his way around the couch, still clutching Jigen tightly in his hands.  
  
“Jigen?” He whispered, leaning down a bit.  
  
_“Mmhm?”_ Came the tired reply.  
  
“Do you know where you are?”  
  
“... _y eah_.”  
  
“Then where -“ Lupin was cut off as Goemon entered with a large white sheet. The samurai was silent as he draped the sheet over the couch and motioned for Lupin to rest Jigen there. The thief had to accept that answers would have to come later, and he moved over to set Jigen in a sitting position on the couch.  
  
As if routine, which it probably was at this point, Lupin held Jigen up with his hands on his shoulders and Goemon worked on getting the gunman’s black jacket off. He slipped it off his shoulders and then down his arms, having to shake it a bit to finally get it off of his wrists. The awkward position of his arms being pulled behind his back made Jigen cry out, and he shoved his forehead against Lupin’s shoulder. Lupin whispered a small apology as he pushed Jigen into Goemon’s arms, then went to work at untying and removing his tie, tossing it behind him absentmindedly, then he got to work unbuttoning his dark purple shirt so they could work better.

Jigen’s hat always, always stayed on. It was his source of comfort.

Jigen swore loudly as he was laid back down. Goemon had once again pressed his hand to the gunman’s wound to keep it from gushing any more blood. The two looked up again as the woman reentered the scene, holding in her hands what looked like not a regular household first aid kit, but an entire professional medical box. She set it on top of the coffee table and opened it. Inside were bandages, surgical string, needles, disinfectant, rubbing alcohol, and other necessary equipment.

Lupin wondered if this woman was some kind of war vet Jigen served with at some point.

The woman looked at him expectantly then she held up her hands, visibly shaking. “I don’t think I can.” She told him and Lupin snapped out of wherever curious place his brain took him. He nodded to her and grabbed the alcohol and a cloth.

“Alright, Jigen. This is gonna suck, but we’ve done this before, so just stay with us.” He looked up at Goemon, who met his eyes. “I clean, you sew. I can hold him down better for that.”

The samurai looked slightly perturbed, but nodded with determination. Goemon moved to press his hands down on Jigen’s shoulders as Lupin knelt down by his friend’s side. He uncapped the bottle and held it tilted over the gaping wound, and placed the cloth just beneath it to catch excess. The wound wasn’t bleeding as much as before, which meant it was no or never to clean it.

“ _Oh, God. Oh, God._ ” Jigen’s face was already scrunched up with unease and horrid anticipation for what was to come.

“Do you want me to tell you when?” Lupin asked.

“No, no just go right for i –“ Jigen didn’t get to finish as he was cut off by his own pained scream. Lupin poured the alcohol right over the stab wound, watching as the clear liquid seeped into his friend’s body and be poured back out as a mixture of blood and pus. Jigen’s legs kicked out, and Lupin shifted his body weight to be on top of them. _“SON OF A BITCH!”_ The gunman cried out as Lupin wiped the wound away and did the process once more. _“I HATE YOU!”_

“I know you do, bud!” Lupin called back, pouring the liquid for a third time.

_“I’M GONNA **KILL YOU** ONCE THIS IS OVER!”_

“I know you will!”

_**“GOD DAMMIT!”** _

Lupin swallowed dryly, almost tempted to ask this woman for a glass of water. He recapped the bottle and reached behind him to place it back on the coffee table, but couldn’t seem to find it. Hands took it from him, no doubt the old lady, and he heard it set back into the kit. Jigen groaned as the thief flipped the cloth over to its clean side and wiped away what was left of the alcohol and blood. He looked up at Goemon, keeping his hand pressing the cloth to Jigen’s side.

“Switch!” He said and he and Goemon carefully maneuvered around each other. Now Lupin stood and held Jigen’s shoulders and Goemon knelt beside him.  
  
“Okay, Jigen. This next part is gonna really, **_really_** suck.” Lupin leaned over his partner’s face, trying his best to look down with what he hoped was a comforting smile. Jigen’s hand reached up and grabbed his sleeve. Lupin’s eyes dashed away for just a moment to see Goemon conversing with the woman softly as he grabbed the needle and thread. “It’s gonna hurt more that patching up your shoulder, so, feel free to yell or curse as much as you want. I actually hear that cursing takes away some of the pain. Yeah, yeah I think it was proven by scientists or something.”

“What the hell are you blabbing on abo-“ Jigen suddenly shot forward, screaming pained bloody murder as the needle entered his skin.

Lupin swore, pressing forward with all his might to lock Jigen’s arms down and to push him back onto the couch in a laying position. The gunman writhed, shouting and yelling a scream that started like it came from deep inside his chest and rattled his throat. Lupin had to quickly reach down and grab his friend’s wrist as he tried to hit Goemon.

“He’s trying to help you!” Lupin growled, pulling his hand back and away.

 _ **“HE’S MAKING IT WORSE! MAKE HIM STOP!”**_ screamed Jigen back as the needle was pulled through his skin and the thread tightened. **_“JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!”_**

Lupin squeezed his eyes shut, not baring to look at the process. He instead forced more of his weight down upon Jigen, his torso almost completely over the other man to keep him down. This was an unfortunate posture, because it placed his face right next to Jigen’s and every curse and shout rang like a sharp echo within his ear. Eventually, the man beneath him was only screaming in absolute pain. Lupin wondered if it would be kinder to just knock him out, but in opening his eyes he couldn’t spot anything in close vicinity.

Goemon remained determined and focused in his work, his steady hands unaffected by Jigen’s protests and cries, but the woman behind him stood up quite suddenly and walked around the coffee table. She looked to Lupin’s side cautiously, as if asking for permission to approach. She must’ve guessed that Lupin didn’t exactly trust her, and it was true, Lupin didn’t know a thing about this sharp boned woman. But he looked at her and then down at his howling friend and guessed that she only wanted to help, so he nodded at her and moved back a smidge.

Now, Lupin thought she was just going to help him hold Jigen down until the process (now halfway done) was finally over. Instead, the woman knelt down by Jigen’s side and lifted his hat away from his head and with her other hand she pushed back the stray hairs that covered his eyes.

“Hey!” Lupin began to protest. No one did that to Jigen unless they knew him and he trusted them completely, but he blinked in surprise at what happened next.

The woman pressed her palm to Jigen’s forehead, covering his eyes with the same movement. Her other hand went and placed itself firmly on his chest. Jigen kept screaming, but something caused him to clench his teeth. Soon his throat searing screams were replaced by squeaks of pain through his nose and throat. The woman moved her hand to rest completely on Jigen’s forehead, and Lupin watched as his friend seemed to finally acknowledge the old lady. Their eyes locked and there was a look of recognition that Lupin couldn’t place. Jigen’s eyes squeezed shut as he let out a short cry, the woman shushed him and placed her hand back over his eyes.

Lupin was absolutely dumbstruck at the scene. So much so that he was dazed enough to completely not notice Goemon complete the stitching. The entire last half of the process had been finished with only small pained noises from Jigen. Goemon tied off and cut the thread and placed to contents back into the aid kit. Lupin cautiously lifted his weight from his friend, easing off of him just in case he decided to shoot back up again.

The woman seemed to take this as an invitation to sit down on the couch. She sat herself next to Jigen’s head, picking up his hat and placing it on her lap as she did so, but she kept her hand on his forehead. Either Jigen had passed out from the pain, or the stubborn man had actually fallen asleep. Lupin made his way around and back over to the coffee table. He placed his hands on his hips, looking at this woman with a curious, but somewhat aggravated expression. He opened his mouth to speak.  
  
“I can do a load of laundry if you’d like.” She spoke first, looking up at the thief with a neutral expression. “I don’t have many spare clothes though, I’m afraid. Did you bring any?” When Lupin gave her a curious look, she waved a hand up and down to gesture to his upper torso.   
  
“Oh.” Lupin looked down at his hands, then to his shirt and tie. Despite how many times he’s seen it, being covered in his friends’ blood was not something he enjoyed looking at. It made him sick to his stomach. “Um, ma’am?” He looked over at the old woman, lifting his hands up and pressing his ears to his shoulders a bit sheepishly. “Do you have a uh-“  
  
“A washroom? Yes.” She nodded, lifting a hand to point behind a corner. “There’s a hallway to your left. The bathroom has a seashell on the door. Can’t miss it. You two can go get cleaned up.”  
  
“Thanks, but um ...” Leaving Jigen alone with a complete stranger was not an idea Lupin was a fan of. He looked over at Goemon, now sitting crossed legged on the floor, hands also cover in red, with a concerned glance.  
  
“You may go first, Lupin.” The samurai said calmly, but was no doubt thinking the same thing. “I will stay here if Jigen needs assistance.”  
  
“Cool. Thanks.” With one more quick glance at this mysterious woman, Lupin turned on his heel and walked down the hallway. While he did need to wash up, it was the perfect time to do some snooping around and find out just who this person was.   
  
The thief entered the room with the seashell on the door and quickly washed his hands, trying to get rid of anything under his fingernails (which always proved to be the toughest spots). He left the water running and quietly stepped out of the room, careful not to let his feet disturb any creaky floorboards. He then got to work, creeping down the hallway to examine the other doors. It was a small house, simple too. There weren’t many pictures lining the hallway. Most of them were framed postcards, all from places he recognized. Either the woman traveled a lot, or knew someone who did.  
  
There were two more doors down the hallway; both the same soft brown color and almost directly across from each other. Lupin carefully tried the doorknob of one and gave a sigh of relief through his nose when it wasn’t locked. Of course, there was no reason for anyone to lock the doors in their own home, but the reaction was simply from experience and instinct. He pushed it open very gently, careful not to make the hinges squeak, though they seemed very well taken care of and made no sound of the sort. He found himself standing in the threshold of what looked like the master bedroom.   
  
Lupin dared stepping in, shifting his feet quietly against the wood as he examined the room. The king-sized bed in the center of the back wall told him that the woman must’ve had a husband or partner at some point, but most of the object in the room suggested he hadn’t been there in a long time. Which wasn’t a surprise. The lady did seem a bit old. The bed had only three pillows and a heavy, one-color blanket that looked handmade. Lupin peaked into a small closet, pushing through the woman’s clothes (all old fashioned and with fading colors), but found nothing helpful as to who she was. There was a dresser with four long drawers against the wall and under the window. A soft, pretty looking piece of long fabric draped over its top, with beautifully knit patterns decorating its edges. Varying knickers and bobs were littered over the dressers top; a few necklaces that Lupin could swear he recognized but couldn’t put his finger on them, different writing tools and papers, and a few other things scattered about. And there, at last, were picture frames with actual people in them.  
  
Lupin bent down at the waist to observe them closer, not daring to pick any up. This was a scene he wanted to leave untouched, lest the woman know he was sneaking about. There were three in total. One looked like a younger version of woman on her wedding day. Her and her husband (who had long, black, wild hair that couldn’t seem to be tamed, even for wedding pictures) didn’t look like ecstatic couples you see today in photos, instead they looked calm and sentimentally happy, gazing into each other’s eyes like the camera wasn’t there. The next was inside a house that definitely wasn’t this one. It looked Japanese in interior. It was the woman, holding a small bundle in her arms and gazing out the window. The picture was no doubt taken by the husband. Lupin finally gazed at the last one. This one he had to look at for a long time.  
  
It was the woman, now older and growing gray hair around her roots, and a young boy, maybe twelve or thirteen or so. She had her arms wrapped around his skinny shoulders, and he looked almost as skin and bone as she did. The boy had the same wild hair as his father (as Lupin could assume) and the same cut cheekbones as his mother. The picture was very close up, the boy looked like he had the camera in both of his hands in a poor attempt to take a picture of both him and his mother. The outcome was a lopsided view, but they were both laughing and smiling. Lupin would’ve smiled too if his brows weren’t creased so heavily. He felt like he knew this kid. His wild black hair was covering his eyes, but there was a part of them that peaked out, just enough for the camera to pick up.  
  
Lupin blinked.  
  
He knew those eyes.  
  
Reality hit Lupin like a _fright train_ as he realized who’s house he was in.  
  
_**“HOLY SHIT!!”** _He exclaimed, probably louder than was necessary. He scrambled out of the room, regretting leaving the poor woman’s water running and slammed his hand over the faucet as he rushed past it. Lupin ran back down the hallway and into the living room. Goemon was standing up at attention, hand on his Zantetsuken and facing the silver haired woman in defense at hearing Lupin’s words.  
  
The thief didn’t acknowledge him and he reached his hands to his head, then he shot them down to gesture at the woman with a big gaping look on his face.  
  
_“YOU’RE JIGEN’S MOM???”_

Both the woman and the samurai blinked up at him. Goemon looked to Lupin curiously and then to her.

“Is that your relationship to Jigen?” He asked her with a small tilt of his head.

The silver haired woman had been buttoning Jigen’s shirt back up when Lupin had barged in. She leaned forward, chuckling softly through her teeth. Lupin realized she even laughed the same way Jigen did. Or, more correctly, Jigen laughed like her.

“You mean he didn’t tell you?” She asked with a smile, but it soon dropped as she looked at their faces. “Of course he didn’t. That’s just like Daisuke, isn’t it?” She gestured for Lupin to come over and soon the thief found himself sitting on the floor next to Goemon.

“You’re his mom.” He said, more breathlessly this time and not as much of a question, but the women nodded anyway.

“I assume you went snooping?” She scrunched up her nose at him, making him press his head into his shoulders. “Don’t worry, I expected as much. Though, you boys surprised me with this visit, I will admit. My name is Mayumi Jigen. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It is an honor to meet you.” Goemon bowed at the waist, placing both hands on his knees. “Thank you for allowing us into your home.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Lupin said, relaxing a bit. “Like I said, I’m Lupin, that’s Goemon. We’re friends of your son.”

“It’s nice to know he has people looking out for him.” Mayumi smiled, brushing a bit of Jigen’s hair behind his ear. “You know, that trick always worked when he was little.” She giggled. “I’m glad it still worked. You two probably have questions.”

Lupin had about a million questions. _Who are you? Why are you living in New York? What happened to Jigen’s dad? What was Jigen like when he was a kid? Do you have any embarrassing stories of him? **Please, God, do you have baby pictures???**_

“All can wait. I want you two to actually go get cleaned up.” She pointed her finger back down the hallway. “I’ll go get some tea started.” Without waiting for a protest or an answer, she stood up and brushed off her dress. She then placed Jigen’s hat back on his head and disappeared into the kitchen.

“This is … a _situation_.” Is all Goemon managed to get out as he rose, helping Lupin to his feet a moment after.

“I know. This is Jigen’s _house_. An actual, permanent _house_. That he **_LIVED_** in.” Lupin whispered back. He suddenly thought of the other door in the hallway. Could that have been Jigen’s old room?

As if she could read his mind, Mayumi shouted from the other room. “And don’t go snooping anywhere else! Go change first!”

 _Just like his own mother_ , Lupin thought with a sigh. He went back out to the fiat and retrieved a duffle bag with their spare clothes. He and Goemon changed out of their bloody and sweat drenched clothes and into fresh ones, tossing what was dirty in a nearby hamper. They kept a pair of clothes for Jigen out in case he wanted to change soon. After they moved the coffee table over so they could sit on the carpet, they sat in silence, waiting for the woman who was Jigen’s mother to come back into the room.

Lupin scooted forward, resting his elbows against the couch and placing his chin on his hands. He looked down at Jigen, trying to trace more physical similarities between him and the woman. His friend shifted; his eyes squeezed tightly for a moment before peaking open. Then, Jigen blinked with surprise at the sight of Lupin wearing the biggest, goofiest grin on his face.

“… _Hey?_ ” Jigen said roughly, throat probably raw from the horrid amount of screaming he had done.

“How is your mom still _alive!?_ ” Were the first words that came out of Lupin’s mouth. The thief leaned down to get next to Jigen’s face. “You’re like … **_ancient!?_ **Oh, my gosh, how _old_ is she?!”

“I’m not that old!” Jigen groaned, smacking a weak hand against Lupin’s face to push him away. “Insult her again and I promise, you die in this house.”

“Can’t shoot me. Your mom would be mad at you. She doesn’t want blood on the furniture.” Lupin giggled, but stepped back. He reached forward and helped Jigen sit up a little, leaning him against the back of the couch.

“Your mother is a very kind person.” Goemon stated, the edges of his mouth creeping into a soft smile. “She gave us the aid needed to properly treat you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. She’s had that kit since I was a kid.” Jigen groaned, pressing himself back into the cushions so he was in a semi-lounging position.

“Speaking of you being a kid.” Lupin grin like a child on Christmas. Jigen tilted his chin up, peaking his eyes from out under his hat. “Dude! Did you grow up here?! Is this your house?!”

“Yeah, yeah. Christ, lower your voice, my head is killing me.” Jigen waved a dismissive hand up and down.

“You can’t get out of this one. I wanna know everything!”

“What are you boys doing?” Mayumi stepped back into the living room. A tray with a teapot and a few teacups set on top of it, as well as a tall glass of water, rested carefully in her hands. “It’s late. You should all lower your voices.”

"Hey, Ma." Jigen said, maybe a bit sheepishly.

"Hello, Daisuke." She turned and smiled genuinely down at him.

Goemon stood up and took the tray from her with a head bow, to which she gave a thank you. The samurai placed it on the coffee table and poured the tea from the pot into the small cups.

“There’s only three.” Jigen pointed out.

“That’s because you get the water.” Mayumi stated firmly, taking the glass from the tray and putting it in her son’s ( ** _HER SON’S_** , Lupin still couldn't believe that fact) hands. She then took a seat next to him on the couch once more.

“Oh. Fine. Never really favored tea anyway.” Jigen mumbled into the glass as he put it up to his lips before taking a long gulp from it.

Lupin took a sip from his tea as his wide eyes looked back and forth between Jigen and his mother. They were so similar, yet different in so many ways. There was a long stretch of silence between everyone until he met eyes with Jigen. The gunman narrowed his eyes at his friend and placed his fist on his knee.

“What?” Jigen said accusingly.

“ _What?!_ What do you mean _WHAT!?_ Jigen that’s your **_mom!_** ” Lupin stretched out his hands with exaggerated motion, making Goemon take the teacup from his hand before it had the chance to spill any of its contents on the carpet.

“I can see that.”

“You never told me you had a mom!”

“Everyone has a mom, dumbass!”

“You never told me about her!”

“You never asked!”

“I’ve talked about _my_ mom! You could’ve mentioned her!”

“You’ve never talked about me?” Came the teasing, yet kindhearted voice of Jigen’s mother from his side.

Jigen slouched, taking another sip of his water to keep him from talking for a moment. “Yeah, well, I didn’t leave in the best ways.”

Lupin and Goemon both leaned forward, eager to hear any story about the secretive man’s past. Jigen met their gazes and quickly turned his head away, so the duo went instead to look at Jigen’s mother.

Mayumi blinked at the attention, then she looked at Jigen with a kind of concerned expression. “Well, um, what would you like to know? I’m not a very interesting.”

“Yeah, but you’re Jigen’s **_MOM!_** ” Lupin protested. “I think that’s the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

The woman giggled a bit, her older voice crackling against her windpipe. “Let’s see. I had Daisuke when I was about twenty-three while we were living in Japan. His father worked –“ She looked down at Lupin and Goemon for a moment before shrugging. “He worked between mafias. We traveled with him to a home in Japan and an apartment here.”

Lupin nodded along. That explained the photo with her and – _OH MY GOD THAT WAS BABY JIGEN!!!_ \- on the dresser.

“One time, he asked us to stay in New York instead of traveling with him to Japan.” She took a sip of her own tea. “He died. And I moved Jigen and myself here.”

Lupin blinked, looking over at Jigen, who kept the same stoic expression.

“I’m sorry.” Goemon stated. “Moving must have been difficult.”

“Not very.” She waved her boney hand in a way that told him not to worry. “It was working that was tough. I worked at a diner, New York is full of them, but I had to work late shifts. Daisuke stopped going to school when he was … _mmh_ , how old were you?” She turned to Jigen, inviting him into the conversation.

“Twelve.” Came his short answer.

“Ah, yes, twelve. I taught him what he needed to know, how to cook, clean, fix up a car, speak several different languages, –“

“How to shoot a gun.” Lupin smiled cheekily, but coughed awkwardly when Mayumi looked sternly his way.

“No. That was not me.” She stated with a bit of a huff. “I gave him his hat to help with his aim though.”

Lupin nearly spat out his tea (now returned to his hand). So **_THAT’S_** why Jigen was so attached to his hat.

“Daisuke joined the city’s mob when he was fourteen.” She took a sip of her tea as Jigen deflated a bit beside her. “Do you remember what happened after that?” The mother asked, giving Jigen a bit of a side eye.

“I killed my first person when I was fifteen.” Jigen stated gruffly. “Came home crying like a kid.”

“You _were_ a kid.”

“I got over it!”

“You shouldn’t _need_ to get over something like that.”

“Yeah well, I learned how to.” Jigen huffed, slamming the glass back to gulp down the rest of the water. “Moved away from home when I was sixteen to work full time. By twenty I was the best damn shot and worked as a gun for hire or a body guard. Got passed between a couple of different people. I sent her letters and money that I earned so she wouldn’t have to work anymore. Blah, blah, met Lupin, yadda, yadda, became a thief full time.” He said this very quickly, crossing his arms over his chest and wincing when one hand brush against his side.

Mayumi rolled her eyes, swatting his knee with the palm of her hand.

“Daisuke wrote me letter and sent money home to me. Even though I didn’t like to think where he got the money or who he had to kill to get it, I was thankful.” She explained to Lupin and Goemon, who had both been looking confused until she cleared the air. They both gave a soft ' _ooooohhh_ '. “Eventually, the letters stopped and I only received money. No return addresses, so I couldn’t write him back either.” She paused. “He shut me out.”

“ _I shut everyone out_.” Jigen mumbled softly.

Lupin blinked. “Oh.” He said out loud and chuckled a bit embarrassed when eyes went to him. “It’s just, ah, well,” His finger went to scratch at his chin. “I can sort of see where that happens. When I met Jigen, he was a complete brick wall. Not even brick, it was more like concrete. Nothing was getting through to him. Completely closed off.” He said, ignoring the look Jigen was giving him. “He was in a bad patch.”

“Mmh, I assume you two didn’t meet under the best circumstances?” Mayumi asked with a playful sense about her. “He tried to kill you, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, well, Goemon tried to kill me too. It’s how I make most of my friends.” Lupin laughed, waving his hands out in front of him before giving the samurai a light knock on the shoulder. “After that he just … decided to come with me. I’m not even really sure why. But we’ve been together ever since.”

“ _I see._ ” Mayumi gave her son a knowing look, which he quickly looked away from. “Then I’m guessing it was a little while after that when he started writing again.”

“Mmh?” Lupin tilted his head curiously, not exactly understanding.

“Daisuke always sent me money, even after, I assume, when he joined your little family. Though, he started sending me presents. Necklaces and rings, silly things like that.” She smiled, and Lupin realized why he recognized the bits and bobs on her dresser. They were things they had stolen together. “About five years ago he wrote me a letter that simply read ‘I’m okay’ and gave me a return address for somewhere in Italy.”

Lupin nodded, remembering that that’s when they had a hideout in the country. _Note to self: return to Italy, it was freaking beautiful there._

“We wrote back and forth as such. Oh, wait now just a minute.” Mayumi stood and placed her teacup on the table. She retreated down the hallway for only a moment before returning with a box and sitting back on the table. “I have them all right here.”

Jigen perked up, looking over her shoulder with wide eyes peeking out from under his hat. “You kept all my letters?”

“Of course I did, I’m your mother.” She stated, giving Jigen’s nose a bop with her boney finger that got a genuine chuckle out of him. “I framed all those postcards you got me as well.” Mayumi reached into the box and pulled out a recent letter. “Ah, this one’s my favorite: Dear Ma, this is a story from a while ago, but one I think you’ll enjoy. Lupin, Goemon, and I rescued a princess. Yes, real life princess, just like knights in a fairytale.” She paused to take a breath and Jigen groaned a tiny ‘ _oh no_.’ Lupin and Goemon exchanged an excited smile and scooted closer like children being told a whimsical story. 

Mayumi smiled at them and continued as Jigen leaned against her shoulder. “Lupin and I were robbing a casino when we found out all the bills were counterfeit, so we decided to do some investigating. We soon found ourselves in the small country of Cagliostro. It’s absolutely beautiful there, with wide open fields and a beautiful lake. If you ever find yourself wanting to travel, I’ll take you there.”

_Lupin saved that as a mental note._

“We found ourselves in a car chase with men in a souped-up car that was careening after the princess. Lupin’s a great driver; it was probably for the best that he was driving and not me. I managed to take out the tires of the perusing car, but Lupin had to jump out of ours and into the princess’ to try and save her from going off a cliff. I almost had a heart attack when their car went over, but knowing Lupin, I knew they’d be fine.” Mayumi continued to read Jigen’s letter, the man pressed his face into his hat and grumbled as Lupin teased him.

The night softly drifted on as the story continued. Jigen would pipe in, telling his mother that she was reading a bit wrong, and continue the story before she would take the letter back from him. Lupin and Goemon would pitch in here and there. Lupin mostly filled in the missing gaps that were left within Jigen’s recount of the story. Eventually, it came to an ending with Jigen nodding off next to his mother. Mayumi showed Goemon where he could find a few sleeping bags and extra blankets and they laid them out within the living room.

Lupin joked about how it looked like they were having a sleep over. They all settled in; Goemon slept in a sitting up position with his back against one of the walls, thought Mayumi insisted he at least drape a blanket over himself, which he complied to. Lupin snuggled into his blanket as Mayumi gently set a kiss on Jigen’s forehead, the man had fallen asleep minutes ago, almost as soon as he had laid back down again.

“Glad I know where Jigen gets his soft side from.” Lupin said with a smile towards the woman, propping himself up on his elbows. 

Mayumi smiled back at Lupin, a bit of knowingness in her gaze that he couldn’t quite place. “And I’m glad to finally meet my son’s partners. It’s good to know that he has such wonderful people watching out for him.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before shutting off the lights. “Goodnight, Lupin.”

The thief tilted his head a bit curiously as he watched her expression, but shrugged and flopped down upon his sleeping bag. “G’night, Mrs. Jigen.”

**Author's Note:**

> Quarantine has got me freaking the hell out so I decided to write the longest Lupin fic I've written to date. I listened to nothing but Lupin music while writing this. Jigen is a real softy & I wanted to explore where that side of him comes from. I WANTED to put Fujiko in here, but I couldn't find a good place for her or Zenigata. Next time, perhaps.
> 
> For now, y'all get to enjoy the wonderful goofy boys & their new mom. Enjoy!


End file.
